Sept., 1902.] Betten : The Larva of Molanna Cinerea. 147 



THE LARVA OF THE CADDIS FLY, MOLANNA 

 CINEREA HAGEN. 



By C. Betten. 



Historical. 



The material upon which this study is based was all collected at 

 Saranac Inn, New York. For the most part, the specimens were 

 taken from Little Clear Creek — the outlet of Little Clear Lake, one of 

 the innumerable beautiful lakes of the Adirondacks. In this region 

 caddis flies were found to be very abundant. During the ten weeks 

 succeeding June 15, 1900, almost a score of different larvae were 

 found, while upwards of thirty species of adults were caught. Of the 

 latter the greater number were secured by means of trap lanterns. 

 Conspicuous among these many species was Molaniia cinerea Hagen, 

 the subject of this study. The interesting character of this larva, the 

 fact that it was successfully reared, and above all, its presence in such 

 large numbers, were the considerations that led to its selection for a 

 more detailed study. 



The amount of work already done along this line is exceedingly 

 small. In fact the Trichoptera are a somewhat neglected order. For 

 the adults, to be sure, we have MacLachlan's* great monograph of 

 the European fauna. The immature stages however have received 

 scarcely any attention. Their natural history is fairly presented in 

 Miall's Natural History of Aquatic Insects. This account consists 

 almost exclusively in extracts from the work of Reaumur. Professor 

 Patten t gives us the embryology of one species. Professor K. J. 

 Morton, I F. J. Pictet,;^ Fr. A. Kolenati || and Miss Cora Clarke^ 

 are among those who have described various species. The glands of 



*MACLArHLAN, Robert. A monograph revision and synopsis of the Trichop- 

 tera of the European Fauna. 1879. 



t Fatten, William. The Development of Phryganids. Three pi. (^uart. 

 Journ. Micros. Sc, Vol. XXIV, pp. 549-602. 



+ Morton, K. J. Notes on the Metamorphosis of British Leptocerida-. 1890. 

 Entomol. Month. Mag., Vol. I, No. 5, pp. 127-131. 



\ PiCTET, F. |. Recherches pour servir a I'histoire et 1' anatomic des Phrygani- 

 des. Geneve and Paris, 1834. 



II Kolenati, P'r. A. Cienera et Species Trichopterorum. Pars I, Pragae, 

 1848, Pars II. Mosquae, 1859. 



^[Clarke, Cora H. Caddis flies of Stony Brook. Psyche, 1891. P. 153. 



